In a heartbeat
by Immortal-grace
Summary: In the wild, on a supposedly safe vacation trip, four companions are attacked. Leaving one seriously injured. R&R please! Third in the Immortally Abandoned series


In a heartbeat

The Uruk-hai overwhelmed them and obviously _outnumbered_ them by at least eleven or twelve. A few of the smaller and less powerful ones were killed off first and easiest, but that left the eight that possessed a physical power and strength and could easily beat the four companions. Since the fight was too close, Legolas was forced to resort to his twin blades rather than his bow, which slumped against the base of a tree and was left there. Elladan and his younger twin brother Elrohir had also used their common sense to realize they couldn't fight with bows and arrows, so they both wielded identical blades. Twenty-eight-year-old Aragorn, the young ranger and the future King of Gondor, held two swords and skillfully killed the opposing beasts.

Aragorn spun around quickly, catching the Uruk-hai by surprise, and slit the beast's throat in one fluid motion. Over the roar of the small battle, one could barely hear the Uruk-hai fall with a _thump_ to the leafy floor.

Legolas fell against the tree, reacting clumsily to the shove from the Uruk-hai. He barely had a moment to regain his composure when one of the evil monsters lunged at him, sword pointed out in front of him, ready to kill the Mirkwood Elf. Legolas realized this with superhuman speed and fell forward, turning the fall into a summersault and rolling away from the immediate threat. But he had no time to race against so he quickly stood up, covered in leaves, and lunged for the Uruk that wanted to kill _him_.

Two Uruk-hai remained.

Only two.

And they were nearest Elrohir and Aragorn, who looked like shrimp compared to the massive Uruk-hai that towered over them. Legolas and Elladan rushed to help, seeing that their friends were doomed without some help. Elladan rushed to help Aragorn while Legolas went to aid the younger twin, who had been awkwardly cornered by dense spot in the forest. Elrohir had maybe a foot of space behind him. Legolas charged from the side, slamming his weight into the Uruk-hai, who didn't seem to care because Legolas was so small in comparison, but the Uruk realized Legolas held a weapon. So he moved, slamming into Legolas, who fell backwards with such force that he hit the tree. The Uruk turned back to Elrohir, who had his weapon ready.

Elladan came up from the back, sword at ready, prepared to help his human brother. The Uruk was raining attacks onto the young ranger, who deflected them all with no ease. Then for no reason, the Uruk stopped and Aragorn narrowed his eyes in confusion, but then the Uruk dropped to the floor, revealing the eldest twin—who mischievously held a blackened sword.

"Hannon le," Aragorn panted and Elladan nodded.

Their relief was quickly intermittent as they heard a cry of pain and a cry of disbelief from fifty-feet away. Before the human or elder twin could assess the problem, they ran towards their companions just as Legolas delivered a fatal wound to the Uruk-hai. The Mirkwood Elf dropped to the floor and immediately the other two believed him to be injured, but when he called for help, they knew it was Elrohir who was injured. Elladan, in shock and horror, dropped to his twin's other side and Aragorn dropped next to Legolas.

Blood spread so fast and so far across Elrohir's tunic that it was impossible to know where and how bad his injuries were. The only notable one was a gash on the twin's head where he had received an appalling blow. "Are...are...they...dead?" He was also awake, but his eyes were closed and his breathing short and ragged.

"Shh, brother, you must not speak. Your injuries are grave." Aragorn said, unbuttoning Elrohir's tunic so he could better examine the injuries.

It was awful! A deep wound run on the stomach, a cut ran deep across Elrohir's pale chest and he had a deep shoulder wound—the stomach would seemed to be the worst of every injury.

"Legolas, get my bag quickly." Elladan looked up to the Prince, who obeyed and went off. "'Ro, open your eyes for me. You cannot fall into darkness, for we may never be able to bring you back." Elrohir turned his head so that he was facing Aragorn, but didn't open his eyes until Legolas returned with Elladan's bag. "Aragorn, you need to get that injury clotted—it is making him lose too much blood."

Aragorn took his cape and balled it up. "It will hurt 'Ro, I am sorry." He pressed the cape onto the wound and applied much needed pressure. Elrohir moaned, but made no physical protest.

Legolas followed instruction from Elladan and applied a small pressure to the diminutive head injury with his cape. "We need to get him back to Rivendell and I thank Valar we are less than a day from there. We should have-"

"Shh." Legolas held up a hand. "Something draws near." He whispered and Elladan listened intently. "Hooves."

"Horses?" Aragorn narrowed his eyes. Who would be arriving when Elrond expected no company?

"We have to hide. We know not who approaches." Legolas said, looking around for the approaching rider.

"We cannot move him like that. We should have brought horses—it is much easier and safer for him." Elladan interfered, looking at Elrohir.

"They draw closer by the second. Either we leave him or we move him and I am not prepared to leave him." Legolas said in a rushed-quiet voice.

The three agreed and quickly, but ever so gently, moved the injured Elf to where he might be. Yet when they were no more than five feet from a nearby boulder, the hoof beats stopped and they knew someone was behind them. Legolas turned, notching an arrow in the bow he had picked up while retrieving Elladan's pack and aiming it at a cloaked figure that was beginning to dismount. The figure dropped down, the leaves making barely any sound, and raised its hands in a sign of peace.

"Show yourself!" Legolas commanded, not removing the figure from the arrow's target. Slowly the figure obeyed and the figure became a much known person. The twins' foster sister Aelinea. Legolas quickly lowered his aim, Elladan put his sword back in its sheath and Aragorn stood from Elrohir's side to move by Legolas. "Forgive me, I knew not who you were."

Aelinea waved it off. "At least you didn't shoot me." She smiled, but that quickly faded when she noticed a bleeding Elrohir on the ground. "Oh Valar..." She rushed forward, uncloaking her self and covering her brother. "What happened?" She demanded, looking at each of them with concerned gray-green eyes.

"To make a very long story very short, we were attacked by Uruk-hai." Aragorn said.

"I'll get him back to Ada." She concluded.

"No, let me take your horse and you travel back with Legolas and Aragorn." Elladan argued.

"Valandil is my horse and he only listens to me. You won't get anywhere; he will just eat the grass while you plead him to run! You have to trust me." Aelinea said, worry half-concealed in her eyes.

"Fine," Elladan agreed after a second of thought. "We will meet you back in Rivendell shortly."

Aelinea nodded and called for her horse, who quickly trotted over from where Aelinea had simply left him to stay. She mounted as the three carefully moved Elrohir. She trotted closer so they wouldn't have to support her injured brother and waited as they helped him on the horse in front of her. Elrohir leaned back against his sister with his head on her shoulder.

"I'll get him there safely, you have my word."

"I trust you. Ride fast and ride safe, my sister, and I will see you at home." Elladan looked up at her.

"'Till later, brothers." She looked at them all once before giving Valandil the command to run.

The three watched Aelinea disappear into the woods before they began to move on towards home.


End file.
